The OS will also require users to be connected to the internet during the setup process.
For the first setup procedure, Microsoft will soon need Windows 11 Pro customers to create a Microsoft account and be connected to the internet. The new criteria are the same as those for Windows 11 Home, which has required an internet connection and an account since its October introduction.
After the modifications are implemented, Windows 11 will be the only major operating system that requires an account to access fundamental features. In Apple’s macOS, you may create a local account during setup, and Android will go you straight to the home screen without requiring you to sign in. Even Chrome OS, a cloud-based operating system, includes a guest mode that allows you to browse without creating an account.
“Like Windows 11 Home edition, Windows 11 Pro edition now requires internet access only during the initial device setup (OOBE),” Microsoft noted in a blog post for Windows Insiders. “MSA will be required for setup if you wish to set up [a] device for personal use.”
According to Ars Technica, users who already have a setup local account or who log in to work PCs using a custom username and password should be unaffected by the regulation. Regardless, many are furious, pointing out that the login requirement will make it more difficult to donate or sell computers, image hundreds of systems (as some companies require), or set up a machine for someone else.
Thousands of users have vowed to use an alternative operating system or postpone updating to Windows 11 on social media. Others are already devising solutions.
“Avoid any other Windows versions at all costs.” “Windows 10 is fantastic; I’m not planning on upgrading anytime soon, and it’s not only because my PC is too old,” one user commented. Another person stated, “My desire to install Linux is growing every day.”
“I expected I’d have to switch to Windows 11 at some point.” “If the need actually occurs, this makes me say never,” one Ars Technica reader commented in the site’s comments area. “What good is “Pro” if a professional can’t make account decisions and use it how they want? After all, we’re paying for the ability to have more control!”
“Windows 11 Pro will soon force me to install Linux,” another quipped.
This requirement will most likely take effect in the next months, as part of the current Windows 11 Insider Preview Build (22557). Users of Windows 11 Pro can avoid the log-in process until that time comes by disconnecting from the internet during setup and selecting a local account instead.
